A story in a galaxy far, far away
by Chilimt
Summary: Maz Kanata is telling a story. Her favourite one. Obviously about Han and Leia, the greatest love story in the galaxy
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER:

No copyright infringement is intended. All characters belong to the owners of STAR WARS franchise. This is done just out of love for the story.

Let me tell you a story. Admittedly a chaotic one. However if you are over a thousand years old, you try to come up with a better one. I won't judge. I'm too old for that. And if I wait for you to be a thousand years old…, well, I probably won't be there to listen so that's that. And so you know now, I may add or embellish some details but who cares? You didn't know them personally so I'm free to ramble. And it is my story so I'm the one who's making the choices.

Oh, stop fidgeting, it is only a beginning and I needed some preamble. Just relax and listen. It's about two people, it's a love story, it's an adventure, it's a drama, not much of a comedy but it is inspirational.

I met Han as a young man, I mean young for his species. I met lots and lots of individuals of any kind and let me tell you, some of them were intriguing, even for me but those two pulled some strings in my heart. I never knew why exactly. If I were to tell you about others I met, some of them… Ok, I'm steering off the course, keep your pants on, I'm coming back to Han and Leia. Did I mention it's about them? Well, anyway, Han. For his species he was an exceptional specimen. I always had a soft spot for him. A scoundrel? A smuggler? Shady? Yes to all but he was a fascinating one. And I have it from the best sources that females of humans found him irresistibly attractive. Well, it's not for me to judge. He wasn't a blushing virgin when I met him but as soon as he met Leia his brain must have had gotten a tunnel vision. Lucky that he found her. In all the meaning of the word.

Their story sort of starts on Tatooine. A hell of a place. Sand, sand and just more sand. I always preferred greenery and water but anyway Han worked for Jabba. He was a Hutt and slimy as they make them. Han was a spice smuggler, among other things. And one of his trips ended badly. He lost the shipment that cost a lot of credits and was in huge debt to Jabba. Which wasn't ideal as Jabba was ruthless. Oh, where's my head? I forgot to tell you about Chewbacca. A lovely Chewbacca. Tall, strong and warm. He could… oh shut up already, I'm coming back to Han, I'm coming. It's just that I liked this Wookiee. And I told you it would be chaotic, didn't I? I called him my boyfriend. No! Not Han, Chewie! As if. You don't listen properly.

Where was I? Ah, yes, Tatooine.

Han was desperate to get a new job to pay off Jabba so he greedily agreed to transport an old man, a boy and two droids to Alderaan. Haven't heard of it? Well, no wonder, it's no longer there. Ah, it's a long story. For another time.

His passengers weren't ordinary as he thought at the beginning. Han wasn't interested in politics. Oh, no. In fact he actively avoided it. Thus he was less than happy to get suddenly involved, right in the middle of it. But I'm skipping ahead.

Millennium Falcon got them to Alderaan. Oh, you've heard of Millennium Falcon then? Good. I won't go into the details then. I'll just say that if anything fought with Leia for Han's heart it was the Falcon. Enough said.

So they got there but there was no planet. Just scattered remains as it was blown to pieces by the Empire. A Death Star to be exact. A frightening thing. But catchy name. Anyway, to make the story short they got pulled into its tractor beam and Millennium Falcon was taken on board by Death Star.

Luckily for our heroes they weren't caught by the Imperials, they hid in the Falcon's special compartments. Smuggling is useful like that. You have to think on your feet.

Obi-Wan Kenobi went to neutralise the tractor mechanism that would allow … Oh, alright, I forgot to mention him. Ben Kenobi, as I knew him, was one of the passengers that Han took on the Falcon. He was one of the last Jedi at the time. A brilliant and brave man. Sadly missed. I always liked him. The other human was young Luke Skywalker. Oh good, you've heard of him. I don't have to explain then. Two droids were C3PO and R2D2. They're important to the story, even if one of them was wildly annoying. The first one.

R2D2 found out that the princess Leia was on board of the Death Star. Yes, Leia was a princess. Not as any princesses I've known through my life. But then she took after her mother… Ok, let's not overcomplicate things at this point. Just let me tell you, that she was beautiful, fierce, loyal, brave and simply magnificent. No wonder they both fell for her from the start. What do you mean who? Luke and Han. I know, I know, it's confusing but then life is. Most of the time. I KNOW she was his sister but no one, well almost no one, knew that at the time.

Luke, always a man of action, decided to rescue her; you see, the Imperials were about to execute her. Yeah, I know. Nothing but bad press for the Imperials but then they deserve it.

Han was reluctant to get involved to say the least. He was already regretting his involvement so far and taking the charter. Yes, that was my Han alright. Solo was a deliberate choice for a name. Ironic when I come to think of it. Anyway, Luke was smart, he promised a big reward for rescuing the princess and Han being Han (at the time at least) got interested and complied. The rescue wasn't easy. Or well thought through. But luck, or rather the Force as I like to think about it, was on their side.

And now we come to the momentous meeting of those two lonely, a little lost but wonderful people. Ok, maybe it wasn't that momentous as they both seemed furious at each other at first. Leia, quite reasonably I think, criticised the effort. Funnily enough, she blamed Han and not Luke. I like to think that she couldn't take her eyes off of him right from the start. She never said so to me but I sense I'm about right. However in the end she took over, as she always did. A brilliant mind I always thought. She found the way to escape through the garbage chute. And so they landed in amongst the garbage with no way to escape at first.

Han had never met a woman like her. Not that he met princesses all the time. But she had awaken in him some very intense feelings. He couldn't fathom what they were or why they were there. He was mesmerised when she took Luke's blaster and shot a hole in the wall of the detention block and then shot at the Stormtroopers. In fact his first words about her were: "Wonderful girl. Either I'm going to kill her or I'm beginning to like her." Ha, ha, ha. Oh, that was funny. Han always made me laugh. Hmmm, I miss the scoundrel. One time he... Ok, ok back to the story.

The situation in the garbage chute was dismal. Not only there was a creature that lived in it and almost killed Luke. But as the Imperials found out where they were, they started the process of compacting the garbage and the walls started to close in on our heroes. Leia and Han tried to block it but to no avail. The walls came closer and closer. My poor Chewbacca, he must have been frightened to death.

Oh, I got you now. Now you're interested. I told you it would be a good story.

Finally Luke managed to contact C3PO and thanks to R2D2 the compacting stopped and the door was opened. They rejoiced loudly giving vent to their relief. And then Han did something that he rarely did before. He showed an emotion. Of all the people in there, there was one person that he wanted to hug. He strode through the garbage to Leia and put his arm around her pulling her close to him. To his delight she responded accordingly. He knew she was strong and fearless but when the walls were closing in, he tried to stay close to her and help her. But when the door opened his senses came back to him and almost ashamed of his weakness before he wanted to show his indifference to her by saying that he had enough of female advice. They sparred with words at this point but to his surprise he lost. Completely. Maybe it was the fault of her eyes that he got lost into but he was lost for words. No brilliant repartee came to mind. Just blank. He didn't know what was happening to him. No fancy princess was going to tell him what to do. She was infuriating. No one, NO ONE told him what to do. She called him 'flyboy', criticised him, Chewie AND his beloved Falcon. Unbelievable.

The escape wasn't easy. Leia was grateful that someone came to help her. She was in a bad state just before the short Stormtrooper (Luke as she later found out) came into her cell. You see, her whole planet, her family, her friends and all those wonderful memories were obliterated. She never felt so alone in her whole life. She almost gave up on life when those strangers came and gave her a new hope. And that strange man! Ugh, she was furious at him. But couldn't stop interacting with him. He drawn her in for some reason. She didn't know why she hugged him. It felt good. It felt right. Despite herself she relished the opportunity. It seemed almost natural. But then he riled her up again by some unwelcome comments. No wonder she snapped. So unprincesslike. And then he just had to emphasise that he did it all for the money. She couldn't expect everyone to share her ideals but that was soul shattering. So she wanted to cut deep when she said to him that if money was all that he loved then that's what he was going to receive. And to drive the message home, she purposefully said to Luke that his friend was quite a mercenary. "I wonder if he really cares about anything. Or anybody", she finished and furiously left the cockpit of the Falcon when they were having the conversation.

You see? I told you that they hadn't started smoothly. But I think this was the first spark that started the fire. And that unexpected, mutual hug between them in the garbage chute was the clincher. There was no way out for both of them from then on. Oh, stop making the doe eyes. I know it is a love story but it is anything but sweet. Just remember I warned you.

The parting shot from the princess leaving the cockpit, where she shot him down (again) for being enthusiastic about their escape, was hurtful to Han. Although he admitted to himself that for all purposes she was right. He was just angry that again he had no response. His mind was racing.

And then Luke asked him what he thought of her. Han replied truthfully that he was trying not to. And it was the truth. That little princess has been invading his thoughts a bit too much. He couldn't allow himself to be that distracted and he didn't want to be involved in any damned rebellion.

Luke was very naïve then and almost too easy to see through, I personally don't think he understood Han properly. I was told he seemed to be very happy with Han's answer.

"Do you think that the princess and the guy like me-"

"No!" Luke interrupted.

Teasing Luke was also almost too easy for Han, the old fox. Han sensed that Luke set his heart on her. Well, Han suddenly against himself took it as a challenge. But just for a moment, he knew that Luke would have a better chance. It was clear he would be staying with the rebellion and with her. Han wasn't going to. Han had other things to do. Still, Leia seemed to have left a hook in him and she was in his thoughts. Even if they were deeply hidden at the back of his mind.

I think I have told you already that Han never had problems with getting women. It was always painless and with hardly any effort on his part. Quick, short-lived affairs were the daily bread for Han. Oh I know it too well. I had to deal with some poor women he left behind. He never promised them anything but they always wanted more and surprisingly they never said a bad word against him. Yeah, that was my young Han. A rascal.

This was different somehow and he knew it. He was a smart lad although very thick sometimes. Ah yes, he was always my favourite.

And so just for the hell of it, Han decided to have some fun during their short trip to the rebels' base on Yavin. It was like a game to him. Every time he passed by her standing somewhere, despite having lots of space, he always put his hands on her for the briefest of moments and walked on innocently like nothing happened. His favourite place to land with his hands were her hips. Imagine Leia standing somewhere, let's say talking to Luke, when he passed them he quickly put his hands on her hips or arms and moved her gently as if trying to squeeze past her, murmuring "sorry, princess" and went on without looking back. Each time she sat somewhere, he seemed to be in need of reaching something behind her but not without resting his hand on her arm or her back and pushing his body into her personal space, even if for some infinitesimal time, not enough for her to react. And always with that devilish smile on his face.

But Leia reacted. She didn't know why but she did. Each time she felt his touch she trembled afterwards. It infuriated her. And she could not say anything as the touch was always too quick and seemingly innocent to others. She was really angry. She knew he was playing with her but she neither wanted him to stop nor did she avoided it. In fact she was angry at herself too. She didn't know what was about this man that made her so helpless. She always won when it came to words. She had a parliamentary background after all but that physical part eluded her. She always was treated as a princess, with respect and a distance. Even by Luke. The only manhandling she encountered was by Stormtroopers and now by Han. Although the two were incomparable as the latter strangely gave her pleasure. When unobserved, she could not stop looking at him. Despite herself she admired many things about him. His courage, decisiveness, his skills and, she had to admit, his looks. He was unlike any man she ever met. She always listened to his conversations with Luke. She appreciated his easy banter making Luke laugh uproariously. She could not help smiling herself but she was focused on Han so much that she found herself lost in thoughts many times and almost didn't hear their conversation. He was so irreverent towards her, called her 'sweetheart' when no one ever dared and yet… She didn't know where this fascination came from. She tried to bury it as deep as she could.

I tell you if I were there I would have told straight those two what is going on. They both apparently was helpless and blind. Well, I wasn't there so that is probably why the farce between them lasted that long until they finally understood and accepted their destiny. Those two were falling in love for the first time in their respective lives and they didn't know it. And there was no one to tell them that. When much later each of them separately told me about this I was inwardly laughing at them. But that's the water under the bridge now.

The game Han played somewhat misfired. He deluded himself that it was just a game. But deep inside he found that he enjoyed it too much for his liking. He started to look for opportunities to touch her deliberately. He stole glances at her when no one saw him. Ok, let's face it, he was ogling her. But there was more than just the physical closeness. She hardly talked to him but he listened to her conversations with Luke. She was something different. She was smart, wise beyond her age and fierce. Very intense. He loved that about her. And he was drawn in. He still knew he was leaving Yavin as soon as they replenished the resources and he got his reward but there was a nagging thought that he would never see her again. It would be highly unlikely to meet her again. All this made him very uncomfortable.

All I can say to you, don't waste your time when anything like it happens to you. Life is too short for the most of you.

Well, anyway, they finally reached Yavin. The transport cart took them from the Falcon to the main entrance to the base. Droids were silent, even C3PO for a change. Luke was wide-eyed and in rapture over the enormity of the base and ships gathered. His eyes scanned everything and everyone. Chewbacca was quietly commenting on the spaceships or equipment from time to time. Leia looked intently at her hands in her lap, deeply submerged in her own thoughts, face impenetrable. Han was unashamedly staring at the princess. He wanted to memorise her image for later, for those long journeys when there was nothing to think about. As if only then he found her beautiful and a sheer perfection. He was almost lost in thoughts as to what might have been if the circumstances were dramatically different. He hoped against hope that she looked at him this one time and once again he could have been lost in her dark pools of eyes.

I know I'm getting unbearably romantic in my old age. But that's my privilege. I've seen a lot of misery during my long life and I appreciate the short sunrays of positive energy when I see them. And Han and Leia's story is one of those rays of sunshine. If you don't want to listen, go. Right. You stayed, good, so on with our story.

When Leia jumped off the transport cart and walked to the general, Han's eyes followed her until she disappeared into the base headquarters. He felt a pang somewhere deep inside when she didn't turn to look back. He tried to banish her from his thoughts when he was collecting the reward, loading the stock and trying to quash any protest from Chewbacca. Because you see my Chewie had the heart in the right place and he was not afraid to use it. That's why I liked this Wookiee.

Luke tried to persuade Han to stay with the Rebellion. Unsuccessfully. He was crestfallen when Han declined once again and uncharacteristically for Luke he got bitter. He nearly said the same words as Leia. Yet Han found himself liking the kid and almost seriously wished him for the force be with him. Chewie complained loudly. But Han decided they were leaving and tried to stick to it. Apart from anything else, Han wanted to overcome these nagging thoughts about Leia. Out of sight, out of mind, or so he hoped. You see? I told you Han could be really thick sometimes.

Meanwhile Leia, after the debriefing, stood alone in a small conference room that had windows on the spaceport. She easily found Han and Chewie with her hungry eyes. They were loading boxes on the Falcon. Only now, unobserved, she allowed herself to look at him. She avoided him after they landed on Yavin. She felt his gaze upon her and yet she couldn't bring herself to look up. She was supposed to prepare herself for the meeting in the headquarters and all she could think about was Han leaving. For ever. She hated it so much. She remembered those brief moment of being touched by him and she trembled again. Why him? It was obvious to her that he spelt trouble and yet she was unable to shake it off.

The announcement of emergency meeting that came out of loudspeakers woke her up. She assumed her senatorial pose and turned from the window ready to leave the room. And yet almost involuntarily she turned back her head to look at Han one last time.

She was surprised that Han and Chewie were at the meeting. She dared not to look though. What's done it's done. Afterwards she found Luke brooding and asked him what troubled him. He explained that Han was leaving. Leia inwardly sighed. Luke fell for Han's charm as she did. Well, maybe not exactly in the same way but she could understand.

Han was finishing the preparations for the departure, Chewie was doing the last checkups. There were still receiving the messages from headquarters communications link. Han was supposed to switch them off but couldn't help himself and he was listening in. If they wanted to escape unscathed they should go now. And yet he was reluctant to start the engines although the Falcon was warming up for a while now. His mind was racing again. Death Star apparently found the rebel base on Yavin. He knew it was partially his fault. He didn't believe Leia when she said that the Imperials were sure to track them. Yet she was right. They were here to destroy Yavin as they did with Alderaan. He knew everyone on Yavin would be killed if the attack on the Death Star was unsuccessful. And from what he was hearing it hadn't been going well. It would mean that Leia would be dead too. He closed his eyes in despair when he thought of it. But he didn't know what he could do. Even if he managed to get to her there was no way he could persuade her to leave with him. He knew that. She was stubborn. He could recognise the symptoms. He had the same disease. What else he could do? Chewie asked what they were going to do. Han knew Chewie well. He was unhappy about the decision on leaving Yavin and he gently wailed listening to the report he heard on the comms now.

Aww, my poor Chewie he was the only one reasonable there and he felt too much. I always said that they should listen to Chewie more. He was… Alright, alright. I'll talk about Chewie some other time.

Finally Han made a decision, "Ok, Chewie, we're leaving. Now!" There was an urgency in Han's voice that Chewie didn't dare to comment on. They left the space port and Chewie was surprised that Han didn't set the coordinates for Tatooine as this was their assumed target. Instead Han turned towards the Death Star. The comms reports were more and more alarming. They keep losing the pilots and what's worse the first attempt to blow the Death Star was unsuccessful. Now it sounded like Luke decided to give it a try. Han speeded up. And then it got worse, Luke was alone, he lost R2D2 and was chased by three imperial ships. Han finally saw them. Without thinking he fired. He got one of them. Then the second wavered and burst against the wall while the third was blown out of track by the explosion. That's was more like it.

Leia was tense and listened to all reports with the impending doom in her heart. She couldn't believe it was happening.. All this effort for nothing. She wasn't afraid to die. She was worried for rebel fighters out there, especially Luke. She was distraught at the thought of all those systems in danger if the Death Star wasn't destroyed. But just as a little thought at the back of her mind there was Han. At least he would survive. She saw the Falcon leaving. At least he would be alive.

And suddenly as if the Force heard her, the most wonderful voice broke through the comms, "Yahoo, you're all clear, kid! Now let's blow this thing and go home!" She couldn't believe her ears. Han! He came back. He didn't leave. A rush of overwhelming emotion swept through her. But…

"Great shot, kid! It was one in the million!", his voice again all over the command centre. That was it. The Death Star disappeared from the screens. It was gone. They were safe. They were alive. She almost hugged C3PO but restrained herself. They were all coming in. She left the command centre almost running, although she knew well that the princesses shouldn't run.

She saw Luke first, at last there was someone she could really hug with joy. Then she heard him. Han was running towards them. He and Luke almost collided with joy. Her mind was shut down now, she run to Han to embrace him. Not as with Luke, she was too timid to do that. But her arms encircled his waist and his arm pulled her closely to him. She couldn't help herself. Even as Luke went away from the group to see what happened to R2D2, they remained comfortably together still in embrace. She didn't think she could be that happy ever again after all she went through. But there she was, close to Han, feeling safe, deliriously happy and optimistic for the future.

He ran as soon as they landed, he ran not even bothering to tell Chewie where to, he ran to find Luke but if he were to be honest he wanted to find Leia. Something told him that she would be there. All Chewie could do was to follow Han.

There they were, happy hugging, maybe he'd get a quick hug out of it at least? Seeing Luke was great but having Leia tugged closely into him was beyond his expectations. Of course Leia being Leia had to comment on him being more than money but to see a pure joy on her face, actually seeing her smiling at him for the first time was better than any reward he could ever expect. He was surprised by this conclusion but there it was. He was happy just for being happy. "Let's not overthink things", he thought. Han wasn't a great thinker anyway. All he wanted now was to take Leia somewhere private. Alas it was not to be. Although he steered her away from the crowd, she reached for Luke and he joined them. If Han was disappointed he didn't show it. The trio went happily together inside the building. Ever optimistic Han thought that maybe later he could find some alone time just with Leia.

Sorry to disappoint you all. They didn't have an alone time. With the debriefing and preparations for the medal ceremony Han lost the sight of Leia. He wasn't happy for the medal ceremony anyway. It was so not his style. Yet he complied in the end and even made the effort to look presentable. He was still him but cleaner. As soon as the door was opened, Luke and him were met by rows of people standing to attention. Han's eyes never wavered though. He had eyes only for Leia. She looked resplendent in a new gown that showed a bit of so far hidden cleavage. You can all imagine what his thoughts were then. Well, I can, I know my Han Solo. All I can say they sure as hell weren't pure. He walked towards her like a predator. He only broke into smile when she smiled at him. And Han's smile was great I can tell you. But again Han being Han couldn't help himself and took a peak into her cleavage when being given a medal. And then he winked at her knowingly. Oh, Han. Some things never change.

What time is it? That late? Ok, go away now. Maz is tired. I'll finish the story some other time. Oh, don't whine. There's plenty of time. If you reach my age, you'll know. On the other hand you may not. And besides some of you are too young to hear the next part. Well, because life is full of colour and the next part is not so black and white. Or so innocent. Sleep well. I know I will.


	2. In limbo

DISCLAIMER:

No copyright infringement is intended. All characters belong to the owners of STAR WARS franchise. This is done just out of love for the story.

You again? Oh okay. Let me think, no, don't say a word. My memory is excellent. Ok, I give up. Where was I? Right, medal ceremony. I'm still angry about it, mind you. Why exactly didn't they give a medal to my poor Chewbacca? He was there too, wasn't he? Well, never mind, he wouldn't know what to do with it anyway. No more than Han did. He kept it in some locker hidden from view.

What? Why would they be alone? I said so? That's right I did. My memory is going I think. But then I have a lot more memories than any of you could ever have.

Ok, after the ceremony there wasn't much time to celebrate to be honest. However Han managed to pull Leia away from the crowd gathered around her and Luke. Managed! He just gripped her elbow and nearly dragged her away. He had to learn a lot at this point I can tell you. Maybe he was unused to going after the woman he liked for longer than a day. Or an hour in his case. From what I heard he wasn't a particularly patient lover those days. Well, some things do change.

As you can imagine Leia was furious. That was too much. She was about to give him a piece of her mind when Han asked, "What about a congratulatory hug, Your Highness? I have to say you got cleaned up nicely and you look exceptionally alluring tonight. Even more than always." And there it was - that smile. That self-assured, cocky smile. Despite her thinking of always being in control, she had to deal with sleazy comments during her short parliamentary career, she was speechless for a brief moment. Then she got her composure back. "You got your medal, Captain. Not mentioning the generous reward. I imagine it should be quite satisfactory. Thank you." She turned on her heel and was about to walk away when his hand stopped her. It wasn't grabbing as before, it was a surprisingly gentle touch to her arm when his hand rested just for a second. Force knows why but she stopped in her tracks. "I offended you," he offered gently, "I'm sorry. I just thought …" This gentleness surprised her, it wasn't the word she associated with him.

"Why did you come back?" she interrupted in a more milder tone that she anticipated. He gave her a sheepish look like only Han can but before he could answer, C3PO managed to squeeze in between them, facing the princess. "Your Highness, you are needed in the command centre." She wasn't sure if she was glad or angry at the interruption but her sense of duty mobilised her to leave Han and the droid and to walk briskly towards the command room.

How do you call it these days? Cockblocking? Oh, stop giggling, so immature of you. Well, C3PO had this aggravating custom to cockblock Han whenever he got close to Leia. Believe me, you'll see later. No wonder Han got somewhat hostile towards the droid.

At that very moment Han nearly kicked the droid but restrained himself as it would be hard to explain his actions. He finally managed to talk to her alone and there she was. Gone again. C3PO turned back to face Han, "Captain Solo, General Riekaan wanted a word with you.", and he pointed to the elderly gentleman standing away from the crowd still surrounding Luke. Resigned, Han walked over to the general. The conversation with him was short. Albeit too long for Han. General wanted to know if Han reconsidered his position and decided to stay with the rebellion. Han was never shy in saying things that came to his mind but here he stopped himself. General said that Leia had recommended him and Han thought that by his straight refusal her position might be compromised. He decided to use different tactics. He said that he needed some consultation. General readily agreed that of course the offer was extended to both of them, Han and Chewbacca. That was not a consultation he had in mind but he just nodded. Han wanted to know what Leia thought about it. She recommended him but he wanted to hear directly from her. So he went in search of her.

Men are such delicate flowers sometimes, don't you think? Always greedy for reassurance. Oh, ok, I didn't mean you. I meant other men obviously. Although I can see in their eyes that the girls are agreeing silently with me. Never mind.

Anyway, Leia was listening to the plans of base evacuation that were discussed in the command centre. However for the first time in her life she could not focus. Her life these past days was in an absolute turmoil, she lost everything and everyone she ever cared for. Whenever she was alone her thought always went to Alderaan. But now it seemed that this Corellian smuggler was stuck in her mind. She still felt his hand on her arm and still saw his smile. Oh boy, she was the goner that one. I always thought her a smart woman, bound by duty etc. but in the matters of the heart she was lost. Well, she was very young at the time I have to take that into the account.

"Excuse me, sir, but may I borrow Princess Leia for just a moment?" Han's voice invaded the centre and woken Leia from her reveries. The room fell suddenly silent and as one they all looked curiously at Leia; general Dodonna who was speaking at the time looked particularly exasperated. She couldn't stop it. She blushed to the roots of her hair. "It's about my commission with rebellion as suggested by general Riekaan." Ha, ha, that's my Han alright. Always on the verge of truth. But you have to admit he saved her face there even if he almost destroyed it first. Leia never had it easy with Han. But I digress.

Dodonna silently nodded his agreement but his face still showed what he really thought. Ah, he was a hotspur that one. I always preferred Riekaan, a very reasonable and balanced man. I don't know why you are surprised. I've met an awful lot of people. Well, I travelled a lot. Never you mind why! Yeah, I've seen a lot of eyes. I remember the first time I saw Han… Oh, all right. Sure, I'll tell you later. But you have to remind me.

Where was I? Oh right, Leia. Leia didn't see it that way; that he saved her face I mean. She fumed with anger. Once again she opened her mouth to tell him what she thought and once again he forestalled her. "I'll be quick. Do you want me to stay?", Han asked earnestly in a conspiratorial tone.

That was unfair, she thought. It was a straight question that deserved a straight answer. That is the rule I stick to myself. Well, erm… most of the time at least. I try though, I really do. But that was not how it worked in the parliament that Leia was used to. She could manoeuvre there. Here she couldn't.

I know, I know, I would be losing my patience too if I were you but simple solutions rarely come easily in real life. We all tend to complicate things. For different reasons. Yes, I remember once when I… You are very ungrateful bunch. Ok, back to those two.

Leia felt that the silence was too long. But she couldn't make herself speak at first. She couldn't look into his face. Once again she seemed to be fascinated by her hands. She knew it was childish. She felt his gaze upon her. Suddenly she gathered all her strength and raised her head. She didn't look at his eyes. She stopped at his lips for some reason. (He, he, he, that would be my choice too if I were of her species.) "Yes. I think you would be a tremendous asset to us." She saw that smile again, his trade mark so to speak. She felt like blushing again and her cheeks positively burned.

"And to you?" Oh, that was low even for him. She firmly decided that she was not going to be dragged into that kind of conversation. She saw a movement, he began to lean towards her, his face ready to kiss her. That was quite enough for her. She deftly swerved her body to avoid him and almost ran back to the command centre.

Now that was the first for Han. He would bet thousands of credits she was ready and actually expecting a kiss from him. She disappeared so quickly that he was left stunned in that corridor, his mouth open. There were some rebels passing him with very curious glances in his direction. "Snap out of it", Chewie's booming voice woke him up. "So you thought it would be that easy?", Chewie started to laugh.

"Shut it," Han barked. "Just so you know, we're staying with the Rebellion."

"Good. Finally a right decision.", Chewie replied. Han just gave him a thunderous look. And walked away quickly. He felt that he had to think. What has just happened there? Did he misread the signs? He was so sure but apparently something eluded him. I think I've told you that Han wasn't so keen on thinking for too long. He felt it only confused him more. He wanted things to be simple. So every time he encountered a problem that he couldn't solve he brushed it away from his mind. Especially as it seemed that some emotions were obviously involved there. It was straight outside Han's comfort zone. He could do without emotions. Poor Han, so naïve, like many men are sometimes. As there was no quick solution to his problem he decided that for now he would stay with the rebellion for a short time but he didn't want to be a soldier. He needed his freedom,

And so he negotiated with general Riekaan the best possible deal for them. Despite Han's original decision to stay with the Rebellion only for a short while, Han and Chewie hung around for almost two years. Chewie asked Han about their departure quite often at the beginning but then resigned himself to Han's lack of decision as he started to enjoy himself. Have I told you? Chewie was a wonderful company. Everyone liked him. He always… Oh, do shut up! Who is telling the story? I do miss them all. Living to the extreme old age is a blessing but mostly a curse. I've lost so many friends through the centuries. New friends don't replace old ones but they help to deal with it all. Well… Hmmm…

Anyway, they didn't accept the commission but helped with the supplies and other equipment of all sorts that had to be delivered to the Rebel Alliance forces on the quiet side. Their smuggling history served the Rebellion well. The only snag was this business with Leia. I mean for Han there was. Chewie had no problems with her. After some time both Leia and Luke started to understand Shyriiwook when they focused so there were many evenings spent in a happy company. Han to his surprise enjoyed himself too. All four of them became friends. Han couldn't understand how those two idealists slowly earned his trust and friendship. But not used to overthinking things he just accepted it. With strange pleasure.

What he couldn't figure out was what was Leia's angle. Her position within the Alliance was not to be trifled with and yet she spent all her free time, of which there wasn't much, with them. On a more personal level she bothered him. A lot. To be frank he thought that by now the whole affair would be at least consummated if not over and done with. Not that he especially liked the latter version. But he didn't seem any closer to the former. All this to the enormous hilarity enjoyed by Chewie. Let's face it Chewie saw it all in the past. This nearly endless string of women passing through Han's life, not one staying there longer than two standard days. And now his friend for life was stuck. Pining for a woman, ok maybe not pining, this is Han we're talking about after all. Chewie had some sympathy for him as well but there was nothing really he could do. It was strictly between those two. And at that time Chewie only suspected what was starting between Han and Leia. I really should have been there.

For Han there were good days and bad days but nearly all of them frustrating. Just when he thought Leia was warming up to him, she swiftly changed her tactics and avoided him for days. He got really close to Luke though. Han saw that 'the kid' was still fascinated by Leia to put it mildly, and to his enormous chagrin he was really jealous of an easy camaraderie between Luke and Leia. And Han was never jealous. At least not until then. He remained jealous of Leia's attention to other people for life. She didn't mind hugging Luke AND Chewie when she greeted them. She only nodded to Han. Sometimes when they all sat together, she inadvertently touched his arm or even his leg in a laughing fit but she never touched him on purpose. He loved hearing her laugh. Even Han so unused to the deeper emotions was aware of all the pain she had to endure thus seeing her happy and careless brought a warm feeling inside him which was a novel experience for him. All I can say is that Han was thankful for real water shower on the Falcon; it came useful nearly always after such an evening in her company. Oh, Han, Han.

He tried not to but his gaze always went towards her, he was nearly hypnotised. He tried to be nice to her, he tried to tease her, at times he jokingly mocked her, all to no avail. She was polite to him but distant although he was more than aware of her sharp tongue and wit seemingly addressed only to him exclusively. At least there was a sign of indifference or so he tried to comfort himself. He kept telling himself he was not miserable because only fools in his opinion felt like that. Poor Han, how could he know that in love we are all fools. And that's the best part of us.

He was fascinated by this prevailing desire within him to be near her, to touch her, to meet her gaze if only for a fleeting moment. Wherever they gathered as a quartet he tried to position himself right by her side, he tried to play the game he started on board of the Falcon by touching her unexpectedly and seemingly in all innocence, again she was silent about it but each time he touched her, her body stiffened immediately and she avoided his face for a long time. He was astonished by her reaction. Was she made of ice? If it bothered her surely she would have said something. And if she wasn't bothered why had she avoided him afterwards? A total mystery to him. Yes, I can see it is not a mystery to you but then we are always wiser when it comes to the matters of the heart of others.

Meanwhile our girl in question wasn't entirely happy, she was torn. She was raised with the sense of duty and noble priorities. The cause of the Republic always seemed more important than normal pleasures of a normal life. That poor girl, she had no one to explain to her what it is to have balance in life. So each time she found herself on the brink of letting go, her dutiful side brought her back to reality; yeah, reality, this dream crusher.

She was dutiful yet for some reason she felt incomplete. She had almost no private life. And believe me it wasn't that the rest of the base led such a sheltered life there as she did. From time to time she saw pairs of different species and sexes walking together, laughing loudly and even sometimes kissing if she abruptly found herself in a more secluded place. Yet she thought, quite mistakenly, to be above all that. She secretly thought that they all were not so dedicated to the cause as she was. And again quite erroneously she thought she should be better than them all. I know, convoluted delusions of grandeur. But think about it, she lost everyone who was close to her and everyone she could trust to guide her. All her emotional life disappeared with Alderaan. All that was left, or so she thought at the time, was the cause. And yet she found it impossible to exclude Luke, Chewie and finally Han from her life. Time spent with them powered her up. She found that she needed them to exist. Her mind was in turmoil over it. She thought that her duty was to serve the Republic or rather the Rebel Alliance now. But time and time again she sought the company of friends as she came to know them. They became her second family where she could relax and be her true self. And there was Han. The most annoying man in the galaxy as she thought of him. He made her feel so uncomfortable. He kept staring at her. All the time. Sometimes she felt that if he had lasers in those enigmatic hazel eyes of his, her whole body would surely be full of holes. Ah, yes Han had beautiful eyes but so had Leia. Hers were very dark, intense and I saw so much residual pain in them, that poor girl. So strong but so tried by life.

Han kept touching her even if she never encouraged him to do so. She avoided him like fire. And yet each time he touched her a spasm of pleasure shot through her body. She was utterly unable to control her reactions and she was ashamed of it. She could not face him and most definitely she could not look into his eyes. She knew that if she had looked into them for too long she would have been lost. And she couldn't be. She was needed in the Alliance. They counted on her. He was a definite distraction. The one she could not afford. The only times she allowed herself to think of him was when she was alone, at night, in her bed. And even then she was annoyed with him. He stole her precious time dedicated to well-deserved sleep. Nevertheless after the evening spent in his company, she tried to recall what he said, how he smiled and where he touched her. She put her hands in those places and from there she tried to stretch the memory of his touch to other parts of her body, imagining how it would feel if his hands touched her there or even better his sensuous mouth did. She only went to sleep when she was exhausted and trembling all over due to the relief. Oh don't make those eyes! These are the natural facts of life. Leia undeniably wasn't made of ice.

And despite herself she could not but admire him. He was an asset to the Rebellion. That was a given. But she truly enjoyed his company, he made her laugh, even if he insisted on calling her 'Your Worship' or inventive names in kind, even if they sparred with words, even if he teased her mercilessly, even if he called her 'sweetheart' (although the last one always sent a shiver down her spine). However in addition to her further annoyance, she caught herself thinking of him even during her work. It was not just annoying but alarming. She didn't know why it was happening. It was so unlike her. No wonder she put the whole blame on Han. And that Death Mark! She only found by accident when more than intoxicated Chewie (my Chewie liked his drink when in a good mood) reminded Han about it. She insisted on knowing the details, supporting it by the idea that the information was vital to the security of the Alliance. She was right of course but as it was she just wanted to know about it first of all for herself. You see, Jabba tired of waiting for Han's return announced to all known bounty hunters that he placed a Death Mark for Han Solo with huge reward on condition that he was delivered to Jabba alive. Jabba was a cruel worm. He wanted to kill Han himself. Just for the pure pleasure of it. Ugh! At least he got what he deserved!

This information only added to the list of Leia's nightmares. If she didn't dream about the destruction of Alderaan, or tortures on board of the Death Star, now she also dreamed about Han being taken from her. When she woke from this particular kind of nightmare she was breathless. She was shocked to find that without Han, she couldn't breathe. This revelation disconcerted her. She didn't know what to do with it. And in all this she never questioned the fact why he stayed with the Rebellion. Ah, even I am losing patience at those two at this juncture of their lives. But the past is written and cannot be changed.

Would you believe it that those two never even kissed during this time? I know. Mad, right?

When the base was moved to Hoth, Force forbidden place, covered with ice, Han started to get restless. He didn't want to go but he knew he couldn't stay. Especially after the last mission to Ord Mantell. He brought danger not just to the Rebellion but most importantly to Leia. You see, for a change Han and Chewie were chartered for a diplomatic mission of Leia and general Riekaan. Unfortunately on landing at Ord Mantell spaceport they were accosted by two thankfully inexperienced bounty hunters. Luckily for them both the crew of Millennium Falcon and two diplomats were armed and blasted their way free out of there. However it was the time to confess to the general what was it all about. Riekaan liked Han and appreciated him so he had a sense not to comment on it too much. He just looked on Han and Han knew that his days with the Rebellion were coming to an end. Unprompted Han quickly assured the general that 'princess Leia knew nothing about it'.

Leia was speechless. Furious yet strangely touched by Han's chivalry. Nevertheless she stood up and opened her mouth turning to the general but again she didn't have the opportunity to admit her negligence as Han quickly said, "That clinches the matter. I will be gone within a couple of days." General Riekaan silently nodded, stood up and left the cockpit. Leia wasn't going to be beaten that quickly she turned and started to follow the general. Han gently grabbed her elbow, "There's no point, princess. It is my fault and let it be my responsibility." His face was serious and he looked at her almost beseechingly. She was mesmerised by those hazel eyes. She hardly ever was lost for words but at this moment she was. He knew her that well that he knew what she was about to do? And he cared if she was compromised? Thoughts just rushed through her head. She needed to break the spell. With great effort she closed her eyes and nodded; she moved away from his light grip and sat back in her chair. The rest of that voyage was eerily wordless. She watched him from her chair right behind Han's. He was facing the console so there was no danger of him catching her at it; besides even when he turned he avoided to look at her for the first time. Her heart was beating so loudly that she was afraid that everyone would hear it. She put her hand on her chest to calm herself.

When they landed, Han left the ship first. He needed a fresh air. Even if the air was freezing and hurt his lungs when he took a deep breath. The snow storm was coming and the gusts of wind thick with snow beat against him. General Riekaan stepped down the landing ramp and with a quick nod to Han he briskly went inside the building. Then Leia came, he saw her in his peripheral vision but he refused to look directly at her. Suddenly she slipped on the snow that was quickly gathering on the ramp and would certainly tumbled down but Han jumped towards her and caught her in his arms, pulling her closely to himself. They both froze. Oh, don't be silly, not literally. Ha, that would be a quick love story. They just weren't' moving, in intimate embrace, eyes locked on each other. For Han it lasted ages, blissful ages. The suddenness of their embrace was such that it took his breath away; his face was never so close to hers. Did I mentioned that Han's experience with women was, erm..., extensive? Well, it was all for nothing. It was like the first time ever for him. He felt too much at this moment. And he couldn't be sure of her reaction. He wanted some encouragement. His eyes started roaming her face focusing alternately between her eyes and her lips. She just looked into his eyes, her lips were slightly open as a result of a fright at the near fall. He swallowed hard. Ready to cover those lips with his but there still wasn't a movement from her. Finally she pushed her hands against his chest where they landed when he caught her, she dropped her eyes and turned her head away from him. Slowly he let her go, feeling the pang in his chest while he did so. He closed his eyes, lifted his head and sighed deeply. For anyone else I would use the word 'heartbroken' but should he be here hearing this there would be a hell of a row. So I won't use this word but call it what you will.

Leia was trembling all over her body. She could hardly walk. She felt like she was about to fall apart. "What has just happened?", she murmured to herself. She didn't know what was happening to her. Was he about to kiss her? Why didn't he? Why didn't he kiss her? What was THAT? She knew that she should report to the headquarters but just this once she decided to disregard the regulations and she ran to her room. She was out of breath when she closed the door behind her. Only now, alone and unobserved she allowed the tears to run.

I know, it's sad. Two stubborn, helplessly in love and suddenly unsure of themselves people. Nothing sadder than this. Well, maybe I'm overdramatic here because there are a lot of much sadder things in life but you know what I mean.

Nothing happened on the next day. Han and Chewie were resupplying the ship and performing some repairs. Leia dug into her work.

Despite his eminent leaving Han still was on the roster of patrols. This was his last one. He was somewhat pleased that Luke was visibly shaken when he told him last night about their departure but he understood and they spent a reasonably pleasant evening, reminiscing over their past adventures accompanied by a bottle of cheapish wine. Last patrol done, Han went into the communications centre to report and inform general Riekaan about his leaving. When he entered the room his eyes automatically went in search of an ice princess as he now decided to call her. Quite aptly as Leia was dressed all in white. She saw him but he couldn't read her face. Was it an angry glare or what? He felt very uncomfortable under this inscrutable stare but he proceeded to the station where the general was standing. He was again quietly pleased to hear that the general spared him some kind words, At least some people, he thought, like Luke and Riekaan appreciated him. He dreaded this but decided to give her the last chance. Maybe now at least she would say something. Anything. That maybe she would like to see him again if he ever managed to get out of Jabba's slimy clutches? That she would miss him? Anything would do.

Thus with his usual grace he started, "I guess that's it." He was sure that that would be an opening she could go with.

"That's right.", her face was impassive. Was that supposed to be it? All his frustration, hurt and disappointment came to the surface. If that was all she could say then he would leave her with the last tease from his repertoire. "Don't get all mushy on me. So long, princess!" He stomped, definitely stomped out of communications centre. He fumed. He was so furious that he could kick something. He couldn't believe he thought for just one moment that she might be the one. It was beyond ridiculous. Ice princess! No wonder she would not have anything to do with a smuggler from nowhere. Well, Corellia actually but that was beside the point.

"Han!" her angry voice stopped him in his tracks. Grudgingly he answered, "Yes, Your Highnessness"

"I thought you have decided to stay", she challenged. He couldn't believe they were still talking about this. If that was her opening gambit, it was poorly chosen in his opinion. So he tried to calm himself just for the sake of it. "Well, the bounty hunter we run into at Ord Mantell has changed my mind."

"Han, we need you." He couldn't believe his ears. Was it going somewhere? "We need?", he offered as an olive branch. She confirmed with a single word. That was it? His patience was slowly wearing out. "And what about you need?", he didn't know if he wanted to play this game anymore.

"I need? I don't know what you're talking about."

At least she begun to look flustered. But it wasn't enough. Not now. He was tired of it and just wanted to go. "Tsk, you probably don't." He turned and continued walking away. To his surprise she followed.

"And what precisely am I supposed to know?"

At least he heard some emotion in her voice now. But he was definitely tired of this game. And his anger was rising. "Come on, you want me to stay because of the way you feel about me." That was definitely it. If she didn't respond to that, he would be merciless.

"Yes! You're a great help to us . You're a natural leader.", she shouted nearly running after him.

'Too late', he thought. 'I'm really pissed off right now.' He stopped, turned to her and pointed his accusatory finger at her. "No! That's not it. Come on!"

He was sure people were passing them in the corridor but they were both beyond noticing. One good thing that came out of it was that she didn't avoid his eyes. She looked straight at him. And he was getting even angrier realising how beautiful her eyes were when she was passionate about something. "Ahaa, come on!", he teased.

"You're imagining things."

It was a nice try he thought but he would be damned if he let her go away with it. "Am I? Then why are you following me? You were afraid I was going to leave without giving you a goodbye kiss?" He saw that it hurt her but it was too late. The cat was out of the bag.

"I'd just as soon kiss a Wookiee.", she retorted. She was as angry as him, he could tell.

Even now he admired her fighting spirit. That was why he felt like he did about her. But his anger was now stronger than reason. Or heart for that matter. He wanted to have the last word. "I can arrange that!", accusatory finger pointed at her again. With that he turned and started to walk away again. Quicker than before. Then the good addition came to his mind. "You could use a good kiss!"

He walked few paces but noticed that she stopped following him. That made him angry even more if that was possible. He was going for a kill now. He quickly retraced his steps to her, she was still standing there. She looked confused. "If you weren't so busy being the princess you would have learnt being a woman." Yes! He hit the spot, she was visibly enraged and stepped back a little to get away from his finger pointed at her like a gun. "I could have helped you. But it's too late. Your big opportunity is flying away, sweetheart. Right now!"

"I think I can survive."

He had to admire her. She was angry, really angry, he could see that but she managed to project her voice steadily with the utmost distaste she could muster. He didn't have a good reply to that so he just shouted, "Good luck!" and started to walk away again. He was determined to have the last word. Even if it was to be the last word spoken to her ever.

"You don't care about all those people depending on you-", Oh she must have been joking. Didn't she have enough? Why was she still following him?

"-Spare me, please.", he interrupted her, stopping and turning to her again. "Don't tell me about the rebellion again. Don't you think about anything else?", he lowered his voice not wanting to scream it for all to hear, although she already said worse things aloud, "I'm sorry, but you're as cold as this planet." There, surely that was enough.

He was wrong. He awoken a fighting royalty. "And you think you're the one to apply some heat?"

She wasn't giving up, was she? He didn't know how she did it, steely look with real fire burning in those beautiful eyes at the same time. Relatively speaking of course as he was absolutely sure, he would never see her again. "I could but I'm not really interested anymore.", He wanted to kiss her so badly at this moment. Maybe that is why he mellowed a bit, "We'll meet again. Maybe by then you'd have warmed up a little." He still wanted his last word but he couldn't move. Any minute now he was ready to take her into his arms and kiss away all those bitter words and bring out the sweetness.

"You have all the breeding of the bantha and just about as much charm. Enjoy your trip, hotshot!", and with that she jabbed his arm with her hand, turned and walked away. Now she was stomping.

He lost. He couldn't believe it. He lost. She had the last word. He stood there for a good minute before he realised his stupid position and walked towards the Falcon.

Would you believe those two? They always enjoyed the wars with words but that was something special, don't you think? What do you mean how I know what they said exactly? From their own lips so to speak. That was actually quite funny. In their ardour they both turned on their communicators. So not only it got recorded as the reports but everyone in the communications centre heard it. This is none of your business how I got the recording. One privilege of being long-living is the luxury of time. And that's all I'm saying.

Literally. Those two exhausted me. I'll tell you what happened next some other time. Good night all.

Please note that I used extended dialogue from deleted scenes from ESB. The scenes were cut but I decided to get them in anyway. Sorry if it caused some disappointment.

And thank you for all the kind reviews. They warm up my heart. Thank you.


End file.
